Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. is 'postured defensively' as more warplanes and a massive aircraft carrier moved to the region.

U.S. refueling aircraft and warships have been dispatched to safeguard U.S. interests as the deadly conflict shows no sign of abating.

F-22 and F-35 fighter aircraft. Two of the officials stressed the defensive nature of the deployment of fighter aircraft, which have been used to shoot down drones and projectiles. Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

The work will be primarily performed in and near Washington with an estimated completion date of July 2026, the Pentagon said.

The $200 million contract is for work with the department’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office.

OpenAI has won a $200 million contract for a pilot program aimed at helping the US Defense Department determine how it could use artificial intelligence for a range of administrative and security tasks.